Piano chords · Pop heartbeat

How to play You’ve Got A Friend on piano

Tuning the piano…

Learn it

Learn You’ve Got A Friend in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: D – A – D – A
You’ve Got A Friend sits in A major: A is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: D is D, F# and A; A is A, C# and E. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
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- DD · F# · A
- AA · C# · E
384 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Push and land
A push just before beat 3, then two calm landings. Musicians call it root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4 (root bass rhythm), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Push and landRoot bass rhythm · PopLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Jump-in chords
Jumps in just after beat 1, pumps through, and stops before the end. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Jump-in chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 96 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: A – D – A
The last chords are I – IV – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
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What chords are in You’ve Got A Friend?

The loop is D – A – D – A (IV – I – IV – I) in A major, and the song ends on A – D – A.

What key is You’ve Got A Friend in?

A major, at about 96 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in You’ve Got A Friend?

Push and land: root bass · 1 · 2& · 3 · 4, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is You’ve Got A Friend easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.

Made from 5 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.